Visiting Art: King Tutankamun
Some good comments, one spoiler and a warning:
I thought it might be a little late to blog about the King Tutankamun exhibit I and my crew of geek cronies went to back in... oh, I think it was July, but I see that this much touted, highly attended exhibit has now moved on to London, and will be going to Dallas in late 2008. So, some one of my far-flung, worldwide readers, might be interested in my take on the exhibit.
First of all, the spoiler. No, really, you need to read this: The great golden mask of King Tutankamun is not at this exhibit. You might think it is because of all the advertising with the gold and blue mask staring out at you from every poster, postcard, advertisement and corner (see picture above) -- but it isn't. Instead, the face and mask you are seeing is from a miniature of the sarcophagus, which was buried with the boy king. So, don't expect to see it -- no matter how much they may seem to be leading up to it. Just saying, is all.
That out of the way, in most other ways the exhibit is thoroughly well done.
I like the way the exhibit tries to give one the feel of moving through the interior of a pyramid towards the sacred inner chamber (even if the end was a bit of a disappointment -- see *spoiler* above). A nice touch -- at least at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, where I saw the exhibit -- the halls we moved through heading towards the actual beginning were lined with some nice photos of the dig site in the 1920s.
Once you reach the exhibit hall itself, there is a small film (about 90 seconds) in a dark room, then the light comes up on a dramatic introduction to the world and art of King Tutankamun.
There are many wonderful items that haven't previously been on display outside of Egypt and the exhibit makes a great attempt to put the short, uneventful reign of Tutankamun into perspective. There's a bit of background on the pharaoh before him and some information on his family relationships which are nice touches. Many of the artifacts in this room are particularly nice. A small stone/clay sculpture of the head of Meri-aten (either a cousin, sister or aunt of Tutankamun) is a thing of absolutely stunning beauty.
The exhibit does of nice job of taking you through the type of life he led and his daily activities, as well as the pomp and circumstance items that remind you King Tutankamun, like all the pharaohs, was believed to be the representation of the gods on earth.
I also liked that many, many of the exhibits were able to be viewed from every angle -- the display cases set up so that the viewer could walk all the way around.
All in all, the exhibit is a very nice afternoon of interesting and beautiful objects to augment whatever experience with Egyptian art and history you may already have. And I think for kids, particularly between the ages of 8 and 12, it would be a wonderful introduction to the complex, varied and dramatic world of the pharaohs and the short but luxurious life of the Boy King, Tutankamun.
One last warning: Most of the objects you will fall in love with will not be available in the Gift Shop (TM) -- lots of cheap and gaudy items with the (fake) Mask on them, or imitation lapis lazuli on bracelets and other trinkets -- but none of the really exquisite things. For example there are no reproductions of the the amazingly modern looking alabaster vases, or some of the dishes or bowls that are so purely beautiful. I would have laid out a good deal of money for a copy of the head of Meriaten --even at half the original size -- but instead, they try to pass off a cheap, stylized imitation. There are some unusual and educational items for kids, but for adults, I'd stick with the books, or exhibit catalogue.
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